Thursday, October 31, 2013

Pictured to the right: Alex Lawson of Social Security works, crashing a public launch event for The Can Kicks Back—itself one of the manifold arms of the "Fix the Debt" movement.

It started off well enough. Nick Troiano, co-founder of the group, kicked off with short speech about the goals and dreams of the "nonpartisan millennial" group, which is concluding a tour of campuses and other places haunted by the young. Lawson and a videographer showed up earlier, finding a spot to the left of the stage and politely standing as Sens. John Thune and Tim Kaine gave short speeches about the threat of the national debt. Not until they finished did Lawson walk in front of the stage (and a small group of cameras) and start into his own speech.

"Aaar!" he said. "Fix the debt, but let me keep my corporate booty! Fix the Debt's founders have more than $500 million in offshore corporate booty."

He was quickly ushered away by—among others—the group's mascot, a man in a cartoonish dented can. Then he stood at the back and heckled (in pirate patois) until he couldn't.